Family heartbroken after Acquaro murder

The family of Melbourne gangland lawyer Joe "Pino" Acquaro say they are heartbroken after the father-of-three was gunned down outside his cafe this week.

The execution-style hit on Mr Acquaro in the early hours of Tuesday is being investigated by Victoria's Purana task force, which was set up in 2003 in response to the city's underworld war.

In a newspaper tribute on Friday the family of Mr Acquaro stated: "Words cannot express the anguish we are feeling."

"You are dearly loved by all and we will forever miss your warmth, smile, generosity and your loving spirit," the death notice in Melbourne's Herald Sun reads.

The 55-year-old is described as a "cherished father" of his three sons Alfredo, Alessio and Adriano - who are all in their 20s.

The notice says funeral details will be revealed at a later date.

In another tribute, the Reggio Calabria Club notes it will never forgot the hard work Mr Acquaro performed for the club as a past president.

The businessman and lawyer had strong ties within the Italian community and had previously been president of Melbourne's Italian Chamber of Commerce.

As a criminal lawyer he represented a raft of prominent gangland figures.

Police visited alleged mafia kingpin Tony Madafferi last year and warned him they would know where to look if Mr Acquaro was ever gunned down.

Court documents that form part of a defamation case brought by Mr Madafferi against The Age newspaper reveal police visited him in mid-2015 to warn him off taking any action against the lawyer.

There's no suggestion Mr Madafferi was involved in Tuesday's murder.

Mr Madafferi's barrister, Georgina Schoff QC, this week said it "beggars belief" that someone would be stupid enough to murder a person after being spoken to by police.